- AfricaBrief
- Posts
- Malawi Farmer Builds Hydro Power Plant to Bring Electricity and Clean Water to Rural Community
Malawi Farmer Builds Hydro Power Plant to Bring Electricity and Clean Water to Rural Community
The innovation, which also allows for access to clean water, is particularly significant as Malawi struggles to provide power to its citizens.
Malawi: A 33-year-old farmer, Chimwemwe Mwenefumbo, from Nkhata Bay district in Malawi, has brought relief to his community by building a hydropower plant that generates and supplies electricity to local residents, writes Susan Moyo.
The innovation, which also allows for access to clean water, is particularly significant as Malawi struggles to provide power to its citizens.
According to a report by the Japan International Development Agency (JICA) in 2022, Malawi has an electrification rate of just 12.4%, with rural areas having access to electricity at only 3.9%.
Mwenefumbo's hydropower plant has brought relief to communities in Chigwere in Nkhata Bay district, where residents previously struggled to access clean water and electricity.
He also noted that some households that have been connected to electricity pay a monthly bill of MK4500, part of which is used to buy chlorine to treat the water before distribution.
Chimwemwe Mwenefumbo's innovation is bringing a change to the lives of many people in the selected communities, including students who are using electricity for their studies.